POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE AS IT DOES EVERY WINTER, THE NFL CHILLED OUT AT A LUAU CALLED THE PRO BOWL

The beast at play is a sight to behold: It is never completelytame and is always a bit awkward in the sunshine, but thatdoesn't mean it can't get a tan. The beast is the NationalFootball League, the mightiest monster in American sport, andwhen it comes to Hawaii for the annual Pro Bowl between the bestof the NFC and the AFC, the rule book stays home.

The Pro Bowl is the least compelling of the four major all-stargames, but the culture that surrounds it is rich. From themiddle of July through the end of January, the NFL operates withthe urgency and single-mindedness of an army in combat. Then itcomes to Hawaii and gets footloose and funky. Bitter rivals rubelbows, and coaches devise game plans as complex as Dick andJane. There are no long meetings or bed checks, and footballstarts to feel like a game again, the way it was before themoney got crazy and the players began taking themselves tooseriously.

"The Pro Bowl is the one time when players can let down theirguard, enjoy their status and revel in the joys of theirprofession," says former New England Patriot and San Francisco49ers tight end Russ Francis, who is now sports director atKGMB-TV in Honolulu. "It's camaraderie and adventure--the wayfootball used to be."

The game itself, though, has more restrictions than the Pritikindiet. The rules say that on offense there can be no motion, noshifting and no formations that have three receivers on one sideof the line. On defense, players must line up in a standard 4-3formation and are prohibited from using pass-rush stunts,linebacker blitzes and extra defensive backs. For the furtherprotection of the quarterbacks, there is no penalty forintentional grounding.

While some superstars, most notably Miami Dolphins quarterbackDan Marino, find excuses not to play in the Pro Bowl, others,such as San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice and GreenBay Packers defensive end Reggie White, show up as faithfully asthe big surf on Oahu's north shore. Rice, who in 1995 caught acareer-high 122 passes for a league-record 1,848 yards, comesbecause he is quite possibly the most determined and obsessedperformer of his time. Hanging out last week by the enormouscircular pool at the Ihilani Resort, 30 miles northwest ofWaikiki, Rice said with a straight face, "Last year was prettyrough for me. The day I get home, I'm starting my workoutprogram, and I feel like if I really work hard over theoff-season, this year can be a very good one."

The NFL used to house the Pro Bowl players at a high-rise hotelin the heart of bustling Waikiki Beach. The proximity tonightlife was enticing to many of the players, but others wereput off by the constant barrage of autograph hounds and videocameras. This point was underscored when Dallas Cowboysquarterback Troy Aikman, drained and frazzled after a week inHawaii, left the 1993 game after the third quarter and headedstraight for the airport.

Perhaps as a result the NFL decided to bunk the players at theIhilani, a lovely resort that sits on a private cove. Moreplayers are now bringing their families with them, and thisyear, in addition to nonparticipating players and a swarm ofagents, executives from many NFL teams made the scene at theIhilani. Ostensibly they were scouting Pro Bowl practices; infact, they were trying to get a jump on the free-agency signingperiod, which doesn't officially begin until Feb. 16. That mighthave been bending the rules a bit, but, as we said, normal rulesdon't apply at the Pro Bowl.

Which makes it the perfect place for a free spirit like Cowboysdefensive end Charles Haley, who on Jan. 28 became the first NFLplayer to play on five winning Super Bowl teams. Sharing apoolside table with former Niners tight end Jamie Williams,Haley was holding forth on the 49ers, his employer until theytraded him to the Cowboys in 1992. "If they had just left me thef--- alone, I could have stayed there," said Haley, whocollected two of his Super Bowl rings with the Niners.

In what might seem like a scary notion to potential suitors,Miami Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox, a free agent this winter,said he was learning a great deal from Haley. "He's teaching meto not let other people's opinions influence my behavior," saidCox, who was fined $17,500 by the league this season forspitting at Buffalo Bills fans as he headed for the locker roomafter being thrown out of a game on Dec. 17. "He simply doesn'tback down, and that's eye-opening."

This was evident as Haley discussed his most recent season withthe Cowboys. "At one point I lost too much weight, and they weregoing to fine me," he said. "I told them they might as well takeaway a game check too, because I wasn't playing that week. Doyou think they fined me? Hell, no!"

There were no fines levied at the Ihilani either, where theNFL's hard edge was softened by the gentle Hawaiian breezes.Scenes unfolded here that could never take place during theregular season, when football is a life-or-death struggle. SanDiego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau and Indianapolis Coltsquarterback Jim Harbaugh staged a series of poolside chessmatches--they ended up playing to a 2-2 draw--interrupted atvarious times by Harbaugh's taking calls on a cellular phone.

Said Wisniewski, "On Friday, Stepnoski's asking Terry aboutTennessee, because Terry lives there in the off-season. I'mtalking to [49ers linebacker] Ken Norton about the Bay Areabecause we're moving our facility to Oakland this year. And thenme and Chester are trying to sell our houses to Cortez, becausethe Seahawks might be moving to L.A. I offered him the deal ofthe century."

Real estate was not on the agenda at the Thursday nightgathering hosted by Hawaiian native and Pro Bowl tackle MarkTuinei of the Cowboys, and his wife, Ponolani. On the karaokestage Ponolani sang an A-plus version of Tina Turner's What'sLove Got to Do with It; her husband followed with a passablerendition of Unchained Melody. Then 325-pound Cowboys guard NateNewton attempted to sing Kool and the Gang's Ladies Night. Saidwitness Dave Guingona, a San Francisco television producer whohas attended the last 14 Pro Bowls, "It was probably the worstkaraoke moment here since [former Los Angeles Raiders tackle]Henry Lawrence butchered Lionel Ritchie's All Night Long in 1985."

Guingona is a marvelous source of Pro Bowl lore. There was thetime in the mid-'80s when a bull escaped from a local zoo andformer New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau wrestled theanimal on a Honolulu street. Then there was the infamous NFChuddle in '93 in which then Niners running back Ricky Wattersand two-way star Deion Sanders, then with the Atlanta Falcons,demanded the ball from quarterback Steve Young of the 49erswhile receivers Rice and Dallas's Michael Irvin accused eachother of being the league's most selfish player.

This year the strangest Pro Bowl happening was a scary one.Larry Centers, the Arizona Cardinals' talented 27-year-oldfullback, showed up in Honolulu on Monday and began behaving"like he was possessed," says 49ers safety Tim McDonald, aformer teammate of Centers's in Phoenix. Centers, according towitnesses, issued wild-eyed proclamations about Jesus onemoment, then in the next breath referred to former Cardinalscoach Buddy Ryan as the devil. He broke into tears during a teamphoto session and had fits of uncontrollable laughter in meetings.

On Tuesday, Centers was placed under a doctor's care andalternate Craig (Ironhead) Heyward of the Falcons was summonedfrom the mainland. By the weekend Centers had regained hisequilibrium, but he did not attend the game. "I'm doing great,"he said on Saturday night. "I got a little sick. But I'm havinga good time. Hey, this is paradise."

As for the game, the NFC held on for a 20-13 victory, andafterward there were smiles all around in both locker rooms."It's been a great week," said Philadelphia Eagles defensive endWilliam Fuller. "What makes this truly special is that we canhang out with guys we spend all season trying to kill."